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Ever since the year 813, when the tomb of St.James was claimed to be (re-)discovered there, the city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain has attracted many thousands of Christian pilgrims from all parts of Europe, particularly in the Middle Ages. As a result, there is no single route or trail. Of course, it all depends on where you start your pilgrimage.

Almost every West European country has an association, society or confraternity dedicated to pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, often carrying the name of the apostle involved: St.James, known by numerous translations such as Sint Jacob, Sint Jakobus, Saint-Jacques, Sankt Jakob, Sant Iago, etc. These organisations all provide information on the pilgrimage to their members, and also issue an official internationally recognized ‘pilgrim pass'. Having collected the correct stamps en route, pass-holders are entitled to the official ‘Compostela' certificate to prove that the pilgrimage was accomplished as intended.

Four routes in France traditionally start from Paris, Le Puy, Vézelay and Arles. After crossing the Pyrenees they all join into one rather clearly defined route across the northwest of Spain. Symbol of the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Way(s) is a scallop shell, also used for waymarking the route (yellow scallop shell against a blue background).

Spain

Classic route

The classic Way of St. James is the Camino Francés. The three main Ways in France - Via Podiensis, Via Lemovicensis, Via Turonensis - come together in the Pyrenees and cross the mountains near Roncesvaux. Hence, the Camino Francés turns straight west over the plains of northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, a walk of about a month.The fourth main Way from France - Via Tolosana - crosses the Pyrenees at Col du Somport, follows the Camino Aragonés in Spain, and joins the Camino Francés in Puente la Reina.

Northern routes

You can imagine that the Camino Francés gets pretty crowded! Luckily, many alternatives have been developed over the years, some with historical relevance, others also a little bit for the pleasure of hiking:

France

France has been quick in developing the modern pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela. Four main Ways have been laid out, based on historical relevance. These Ways pass numerous churches and other religious monuments dedicated to the mediaeval pilgrimage to Santiago, and this alone makes France a splendid pilgrimage destination. Moreover, pilgrims from Europe had to cross the Pyrenees and to have lengthy wanderings through France if they wanted to visit the holy grave of St. Jacob.

Via Turonensis

Let’s start with these four main Ways. The westernmost is the Via Turonensis, leaving from Paris, passing Tours ending in Ostabat in the Pyrenees. In modern France this is the GR655. In Spain, this Way continues as Camino Francés. Below are the main and side itineraries:

Via Lemovicencis

Next, parallel to the previous Way, is the Via Lemovicencis, popular for pilgrims from northern Europe. The modern version is the GR654, but be aware that this GR takes a different route from the official pilgrims way. Both routes are, in terms of landscape, more interesting than the first Way over Paris.

Via Podiensis

The third main route, and like the previous one a pretty route too, is the Way over Le Puy-en-Velay, the Via Podiensis. This has been dubbed the GR65. This important Way was and is used by pilgrims from the south and central Europe, from Hungary to Poland.

Via Tolosana

The fourth main Way is the Via Tolosana, bringing pilgrims from Italy, and connecting to the other important pilgrim destination, Rome. Traveling via Toulouse, these pilgrims cross the Pyrenees at the Col du Somport. The state name is GR653.

Belgium

Belgium has a dense network of pilgrim ways. They run north-south, and bring pilgrims from Holland, Flanders and Wallonia to France. The Belgian Ways of Saint James connect to the Via Turonensis over Paris and the Via Lemovicensis over Vézelay. There are five main clusters of trails.

Central-west

One of the main routes is the central-west route connecting the west of the Netherlands to the Via Turonensis, GR655.

East

The third route is probably the most popular one for Dutch Pilgrims, not because it is the shortest, but rather because it is a nice one to walk. It connects the Pelgrimspad to the Vézalay route, the GR654.

Ardennes

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country of hiking fervents, so it is not surprising that there are quite a number of pilgrim ways crisscrossing the country. One will clearly observe a difference between those trails that are meant to please the senses, and those that are meant to call upon as many churches as possible. The latter are recognisable by their fancy mediaeval names starting with “Jacobsweg”.

Due to the country’s geographical location, there are two obvious directions to Santiago de Compostela: one over Paris (Via Turonensis) and one over Vézelay (Via Lemovicensis). Since the latter is far more popular, most Dutch pilgrims follow Ways to Limburg, the southeastern corner bordering Belgium and Germany.

Coastal Way to Paris

Let’s start with the option over Paris along the coast. Starting in Wieringen or in Den Oever, the pilgrims head for Haarlem.

From Haarlem, the path continues south more or less along the coast. In Schipluiden is a bifurcation: one way goes east to Antwerpen,the other continues south. Continuing south, there is a second split in Vlissingen. One way goes to Brugge in Belgium, the other to Gent in Belgium.

Main Way to Paris

The other pilgrim way to Paris has historic roots. The start is in the north of the country, either in the village Sint-Jacobiparochie or in the town Uithuizen. These Ways head for the village Hasselt. Then the route continues to Utrecht, Breda and Antwerpen in Belgium.

Main Way to Vézelay

Two Ways connect the busy west of the country to the province of Limburg and Vézelay. The Pelgrimspad is primarily a trail for walkers enjoying the countryside. The Jacobsweg Amstelredam is primarily a trail for pilgrims enjoying cities and cathedrals.

Eastern Way to Vézelay

Things get a bit complicated here. The same paths in the north of the Netherlands that are used to go to Paris, are also frequented by pilgrims heading for Vézelay. Hasselt has the key to this mystery: the village is a main intersection of pilgrim ways.

From Hasselt, continue on the Jacobsweg Nieumeghen. Halfway, in the old city Doesburg, pilgrims from Oldenzaal will join you. This part of the Way is more or less the same as the Hanzestedenpad.

In Nijmegen one can continue south. But the real pilgrim will make a large detour to ‘s-Hertogenbosch, an important religious center of the Netherlands. The direct Way to Vézelay heads for Maastricht and Liège, Belgium. This route is sometimes on German territory, sometimes on Dutch territory, and even sometimes on Belgian territory.

An essential guidebook for anyone planning to walk the Via Francigena pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome. Part 2 describes 940km of the pilgrimage from the Great St Bernard Pass to Rome. Contains all the planning information you need for your journey, including details of facilities and accommodation along the route.Read more

Les Chemins de St-Jacques au Pays Basque covers two routes of the Way of St James in the Basque country: le Chemin de Baztán and le Chemin de Saint-Palais á la côte. The former links Bayonne, Saint-Jean de Luz and Urdax, extending south to Pamplona; the latter links Sare to Saint Palais via Esplette. This is one of the titles in a series of...Read more

Le Chemin du Vézelay: de la Bourgogne aux Pyrénéees covers the one of most popular routes of the Way of St. James in France, from the cathedral in Vézelay, across the La Charité-sur-Loire, Bourges, La Souterraine, Limoges, Périgueux, Ste-Foy-la-Grande, Bazas, Mont-de-Marsan and Orthez to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.This title is part of a series of...Read more

Chemins de St.Jacques: Cluny/Lyon-Le Puy à pied from Chamina presents the route overprinted on IGN’s 1:50,000 topographic survey with details of accommodation, local services and other tourist information.Each stage is shown on extracts from IGN`s 1:50,000 topographic survey cross-referenced to the descriptions of the route. Symbols indicate...Read more

This guidebook is a comprehensive, pocket-sized guide to walking the pilgrimage routes through northern Spain to the sacred city of Santiago de Compostela. The Camino del Norte is an 817km five-week coastal route from the town of Irún, close to the French border. Its alternatives are the Camino Primitivo (which splits from the Norte near Oviedo...Read more

This guidebook is a comprehensive, pocket-sized guide to walking the pilgrimage routes through northern Spain to the sacred city of Santiago de Compostela. The Camino del Norte is an 817km five-week coastal route from the town of Irún, close to the French border. Its alternatives are the Camino Primitivo (which splits from the Norte near Oviedo...Read more

The first stage in France of the Via Francigena, one of the great medieval pilgrim routes, in a bilingual English / French topoguide with colour extracts from IGN’s topographic survey at 1:50,000, accommodation recommendations, etc.The guide covers a 12 day - 235km long section from Calais to Rocquigny, including parts of WWI Western Front in...Read more

The Way of St James: Stages 1n/2n/3n/4n, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port/Puente la Reina, in a series of double-sided topographic maps at 1:50,000 from the Spanish civilian survey organization, overprinted with the route and sights, plus information of accommodation and other facilities, route profiles, etc.Each 1:50,000 map is double-sided and has...Read more

The Way of St James: Stages 1n/2n/3n/4n, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port/Puente la Reina, in a series of double-sided topographic maps at 1:50,000 from the Spanish civilian survey organization, overprinted with the route and sights, plus information of accommodation and other facilities, route profiles, etc.Each 1:50,000 map is double-sided and has...Read more

Walk the third stage of the Camino del Norte, from Santander to Gijón. Walk the third stage of the Camino del Norte from Santander to Gijon.
Walking along wild Cantabrian coastline from Santander takes you through some lovely little fishing villages. The coastline is stunning with quiet beaches and bursting with bird and sea life. You will...Read more

Stage 4 of the Camino de Santiago takes you from the wonderful city of Leon to the quaint village of O'Cebriero. Walk from the beautiful city of Leon to O'Cebreiro on the Camino Frances.
As you leave the plateau of Leon you will see the mountains up ahead as you head to Astorga. This part of the countryside is characterised by broom, heather,...Read more

Walk the full Camino del Norte. A dramatic and sometimes challenging route to Santiago, this Camino more accurately reflects the true pilgrim experience. Taking you from San Sebastian along the north coast of Spain to Santiago de Compostela, the route alternates between dramatic coast, rugged Galician mountains and some of the best cities in...Read more

Self guided walking tour on the Camino Le Puy Way from Le-Puy-en-Velay to St Jean Pied de Port. Walk the Full Camino Le Puy Way from Le-Puy-en-Velay to St. Jean Pied de Port, where the Camino de Santiago French Way begins. This journey has been a pilgrimage route for hundreds of years and is filled with interest from start to finish.
It is...Read more

A 14 day & 13 night stage 1 & 2 St Jean-Pied-de-Port to Burgos self guided walking holiday. Walk the first two stages of the Camino from St Jean Pied de Port, which straddles the French and Spanish border, to the medieval city of Burgos.
Crossing the Pyrenees your first day will undoubtably be the toughest day of the whole Camino. The steep...Read more

Walk from the gothic city of Santarém through to the beautiful University town of Coimbra. The second stage of the Camino Portugués starts off with a day of relatively flat walking, but you are soon out amongst the rolling hills as the week progresses. This section has three of the most amazing cities on the trip, the gothic Santarém, the...Read more

Self guided walking tour on the Camino Le Puy Way from Aire sur l'Adour to St Jean Pied de Port. The final stage of the Le Puy Camino runs from Aire sur l‘Adour to St Jean Pied de Port, where it joins the Camino de Santiago French Way. Your route takes you through the two distinct regions of Béarn and the French Basque and before concluding in...Read more

This stage crosses the border from Portugal to Spain across the Minho river. On this trip you cross the border from Portugal into Spain when crossing the international bridge over the Minho river. During the course of the trip you will pass through a variety of landscapes, from the urban sprawl of Porto to rolling green hills and stretches of...Read more

Self guided walking tour on the Camino Le Puy Way from Cahors to Lectoure. Follow the Camino Le Puy Way from the medieval town of Cahors, across the Quercy Blanc and on to Lectoure. Which sits high above the Gers River. This is stage 4 of the Le Puy Camino which stretches from Le Puy to St. Jean Pied de Port.
Begin your journey in the town of...Read more

This section runs from Burgos to the wonderful city of Leon. Walk from the medieval city of Burgos to the beautiful city of Leon on the third stage of the Camino.
Crop field dominate the landscape on the first part of this stage and there are not many trees in view. The river Pisuerga brings you in to Palencia and into the Tierra de Campos...Read more

Walk the final stage of the Camino del Norte from Ribadeo to Santiago de Compostela. The final stage of the Camino del Norte takes you from Ribadeo through the lush Galician countryside to Santiago de Compostela. This is a dramatic and sometimes challenging route to Santiago and one which more accurately reflects the true pilgrim experience. ...Read more

A 92.5km (optional: 102.5km) pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. In the middle ages, the news of the Camino de Santiago spread all over Europe and Pilgrims from the UK and Ireland would sail down to A Coruña and Ferrol to start their pilgrimage to Santiago. Today we use the route from Ferrol as it is the more scenic route of the two.
The...Read more

Self-guided walking tour Stage 2 of the Camino Le Puy Way. Walk Stage 2 of the Camino Le Puy Way through the south west of France from Nasbinals to Conques.
This is an ancient pilgrimage route that takes you along the Grand Randonnée 65 and through contrasting landscapes from the high plateau of the Aubrac to the lush valley of the...Read more

Walking from Santiago to the Atlantic Coast. Finisterre translates as the “end of the world” and for many pilgrims they feel that their journey is only complete when they can walk no more— hence the walk from Santiago to Finisterre on the Atlantic Coast.
Starting from the magnificent cathedral in Santiago, walk through the Galician countryside...Read more

Walk the first stage of the Camino de Santiago from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Logrono. Walk the first stage of the Camino de Santiago, from St Jean which straddles the French and Spanish border, to Logrono in the famous wine growing region of Rioja.
Undoubtedly the toughest stage of the whole Camino de Santiago, but one filled with rewards....Read more

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